NASA reports that a bus-sized asteroid will come close to Earth; Details on speed, size, and more
In the first two months of 2024, Earth experienced several close encounters with asteroids. However, the recent days have been quiet, with no asteroids passing by. This break in activity is expected to end tomorrow, as another asteroid is scheduled to pass close to Earth. These close approaches happen when an asteroid is influenced by a planet’s gravitational pull, potentially putting it on a collision course with Earth. Using advanced technology, the US Space Agency has identified another asteroid that will pass by Earth on March 7.
Asteroid 2024 EH: Close Approach Details
NASA says this asteroid has been named Asteroid 2024 EH by the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), an organization dedicated to studying NEOs and their potential impact on the planet. It is predicted to pass the Earth at a distance of about 506,000 kilometers. Although this distance may seem large, it is astronomically smaller.
According to the space agency, the asteroid has been tracked in orbit and is heading towards Earth at a breakneck speed of 34,183 kilometers per hour, which is faster than an Intercontinental Ballistic Missle (ICBM)!
How big is it?
NASA says the asteroid approaching Earth is not large enough to be classified as a potentially hazardous object. Asteroid 2024 EH is estimated to be nearly 42 feet across, making it almost the size of a bus!
It belongs to Apollo’s group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which are Earth-passing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth’s. These asteroids are named after the huge 1862 Apollo asteroid discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.
Amazingly, this is not the first time this asteroid has come close to a planet. Asteroid 2024 EH made its first approach to Earth on June 27, 1927, when it passed the planet at 67 million kilometers. After today, this Apollo group asteroid will fly past Earth on June 24, 2071, flying at a distance of about 44 million kilometers.
